Before you sit down in class or walk into an exam, your body reflects your mental state. Standing in Tree Pose with one foot on your thigh and arms raised, you train balance and focus in a direct, physical way. Asanas shape how you move, breathe, and stay present.
In this study guide, you’ll read what an asana is, how yoga asanas are classified, and how traditional systems like the Sivananda sequence organize them. We’ll compare types of yoga postures—standing, seated, balancing—and show how to build a full practice step by step.
Asanas: Quick Summary
Do you just need the basics? Here’s a simple explanation of what asanas and yoga postures are:
🟠 An asana is a steady, comfortable body position practiced with breath awareness and stillness.
🟠 Traditional yoga asanas focus on seated postures, while modern yoga includes standing, balancing, and dynamic positions.
🟠 The Sivananda system organizes 12 yoga postures in a fixed sequence to engage the whole body.
🟠 You can group asanas by body action—such as forward bends, backbends, or twists—to target different areas.
🟠 A complete practice combines warm-up, standing postures, and rest, with smooth transitions and steady breathing.
What Is an Asana in Yoga?
An asana is a yoga posture you hold with attention and control. In classical yoga, it means a stable sitting pose for breathing and meditation. You sit still, focus your mind, and let your breath stay steady. Today, asana also means the full range of physical yoga postures, from seated to standing.
Traditional yoga texts describe asana with precision:
- Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali: “Sthira sukham āsanam” — posture should be steady and comfortable.
- Hatha Yoga Pradīpikā: Lists 15 postures to prepare the body for breathwork and focus.
- Gheranda Samhita: Names 32 postures for strength, stillness, and internal cleansing.
Some postures remain seated and still. Others involve balance and movement. Here’s how traditional and modern postures compare:
| Classical Seated Asanas | Modern Dynamic Postures |
| Sukhasana (Easy Pose) | Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) |
| Padmasana (Lotus Pose) | Vīrabhadrāsana I (Warrior I) |
| Siddhasana (Accomplished Pose) | Utkatāsana (Chair Pose) |
Practice the 12 Sivananda Yoga Asanas in Order
The Sivananda yoga asanas follow a set sequence that moves your body through balanced positions. You start with an inversion, then continue with backward bends, forward bends, twists, and standing poses. Each asana supports breath, focus, and flexibility.
- Headstand (Śīrṣāsana)
Balance on your head with support from the arms. This pose trains stability and strengthens your core. - Shoulderstand (Sarvāṅgāsana)
Lift your legs while resting on your shoulders. It activates the neck and supports blood flow to the upper body. - Plough (Halāsana)
Bring your feet behind the head while keeping the back on the ground. This stretches your spine and neck. - Fish (Matsyāsana)
Arch your chest upward with your head gently tilted back. It opens your chest and relieves tension in the neck. - Seated Forward Bend (Paścimottānāsana)
Sit with straight legs and fold forward. This stretches your hamstrings and massages your abdomen. - Cobra (Bhujaṅgāsana)
Lie on your stomach and lift your chest with bent elbows. It strengthens your back and opens your rib cage. - Locust (Śalabhāsana)
Keep your chest down while raising both legs. This builds strength in the lower back and hips. - Bow (Dhanurāsana)
Grab your ankles while lifting your chest and thighs. This creates a strong backbend and stretches the front body. - Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrāsana)
Sit with one knee bent and twist your torso. This rotation stretches your spine and supports digestion. - Crow (Kākāsana)
Place your knees on your arms and balance on your hands. This pose improves balance and strengthens your wrists. - Standing Forward Bend (Pāda Hastāsana)
Bend from the hips and let your head drop. This lengthens the spine and relaxes your back. - Triangle (Trikoṇāsana)
Stand with feet apart and reach one hand to the ankle, the other to the sky. It stretches the sides and improves posture.
Compare Standing, Seated, and Restorative Yoga Asanas
Yoga asanas follow patterns based on body position. You can work with strength, stillness, or breath. This section groups yoga postures into standing, seated, and restorative positions so you can study their structure and effect.
Standing Yoga Postures
Warrior I (Vīrabhadrāsana I)
Step forward with one leg and raise both arms. The back leg stays straight. You build stability and leg strength.
Chair (Utkatāsana)
Bend your knees and sit back as if into a chair. Lift your arms and keep your chest open. This targets thighs and posture.
Triangle (Trikoṇāsana)
Spread your feet, stretch one arm down to your ankle, and lift the other arm. This opens the side body and hips.
Tree (Vṛkṣāsana)
Stand on one leg with the other foot pressed to the inner thigh. Hands go overhead or stay at the chest. This pose trains balance.
Standing Forward Bend (Uttanāsana)
Fold from the hips and let your head drop. This posture stretches your back and hamstrings.
Seated Yoga Asanas
Staff (Daṇḍāsana)
Sit with straight legs and firm hands by your sides. This trains upright posture and prepares you for deeper bends.
Easy Pose (Sukhasana)
Cross your legs and sit tall. This position supports breath control and focus.
Seated Forward Bend (Paścimottānāsana)
Stretch your arms forward over your legs. It works the spine and calms the nervous system.
Half Spinal Twist (Ardha Matsyendrāsana)
Sit with one knee up and twist toward it. The movement keeps your spine mobile.
Hero Pose (Vīrāsana)
Kneel with feet beside your hips. You sit between your heels. It stretches the thighs and helps steady your breath.
Restorative or Supine Yoga Postures
Child’s Pose (Bālāsana)
Kneel down and fold forward with your arms extended. Your forehead touches the mat. This resting pose releases tension in the back.
Supine Twist (Supta Matsyendrāsana)
Lie on your back, cross one leg over the other, and rotate your torso. This relaxes the spine and shoulders.
Reclining Bound Angle (Supta Baddha Koṇāsana)
Lie down with soles of the feet together and knees apart. It opens your hips and supports recovery.
Bridge Pose (Setu Bandhāsana)
Press your feet into the floor to lift the hips. Shoulders stay down. This strengthens your glutes and opens the chest.
Corpse Pose (Śavāsana)
Lie flat with arms and legs loose. Stay still and let your breath slow. This ends the session with deep rest.
Group Asanas by Physical Action and Position
You can group yoga postures by how your body moves and where it’s placed. This helps you build a complete and balanced practice.
Standing
You hold your weight on both feet. These poses build leg strength and improve posture.
Seated
Your hips stay grounded. These postures stretch your spine and support focused breathing.
Forward bends
You bend at your hips and lengthen the back of your body. They reduce tension in your spine and legs.
Backbends
You lift your chest and arch your back. These poses strengthen your back and open the front of your body.
Twists
You rotate your spine using support from your arms and legs. These improve flexibility and train your core.
Inversions
You raise your hips or feet above your head. These postures improve balance and coordination.
Balancing
You stand on one foot or support yourself with your hands. These poses improve control and focus.
Restorative
You use props and hold still. These poses relax your body and slow down your breath.
Structure a Yoga Session Using Asanas and Breath
A well-structured yoga moves through warm-up, active postures, and rest, all connected by breath. Each phase has a clear rhythm and purpose.
You usually begin seated or lying down. Focus on breathing evenly through the nose. This calms your body and prepares your attention. Then you move through light joint movements to loosen the neck, spine, and hips.
The main part of the session starts with standing yoga postures, such as those in a Sun Salutation. Each pose links to a breath—inhale to lift, exhale to fold. This part builds heat, coordination, and focus. After standing work, you shift to seated or lying postures. Here, you hold forward bends, gentle backbends, or spinal twists for a few breaths. Keep your breathing soft and regular.
As the session winds down, choose calming poses like Legs-Up-the-Wall or Supine Twist. Then lie flat in Corpse Pose. Let your breath return to its natural pace. You stay still and alert.
Throughout the practice, you keep attention on the breath. It anchors movement, helps with pacing, and supports stillness. A consistent sequence with breath awareness creates balance between action and rest in every session.
Link Asanas to Muscle Groups and Joint Movement
Each asana activates specific muscle groups and joint actions. Standing yoga postures strengthen the legs and improve hip mobility. Seated poses stretch the hamstrings and open the lower back. Twists engage the obliques and mobilize the spine.
Backbends activate spinal extensors and open the chest and shoulders. Inversions like Shoulderstand challenge balance and stimulate circulation while working the upper body. When you pair these postures with stable breathing, you develop strength, flexibility, and control. Learning how each yoga asana affects your body helps you structure balanced sequences and avoid overworking one area while ignoring another.
Get Better at Yoga Asanas with Personal Tutoring Support
Trying to learn yoga postures from a long list of names can feel confusing. You might wonder if you’re doing them in the right order or using your breath the way you should. That’s where private yoga tutoring helps. A tutor doesn’t just explain poses—they help you put things together. You go step by step through seated asanas, standing postures, and transitions like Sun Salutations.
You don’t need to guess whether Trikonasana should come before a forward fold or how long to hold a twist. A real person walks you through it and answers your questions as you go. You can book “private yoga classes in Birmingham” or try “yoga tutoring Leeds” to find someone nearby. Online yoga tutoring is also flexible—just search “yoga tutor Glasgow” or “one-on-one yoga lessons Sheffield.”
Good tutoring gives you more than just feedback. It helps you build rhythm, posture, and confidence—all in a way that fits how you learn. Try a session and make your practice simpler and more focused.
If you’re serious about learning it right, book a yoga session on meet’n’learn. If you are a beginner try beginner yoga, it’ll help you build a routine that feels natural and doable. To find out more about how kundalini yoga lowers your cortisol levels, how to practise hata yoga or face yoga check out our blogs for additional learning material. Maybe it even inspires you to do yoga with children. If you’re ready for extra help, a private yoga teacher can guide you through the most challenging poses with patience.
Asanas: Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is a yoga asana?
A yoga asana is a specific body position practiced with attention to breath and stillness.
2. Are all yoga postures seated?
No, yoga postures can be standing, seated, prone, supine, or inverted.
3. How does an asana differ from regular exercise?
An asana involves steady positioning with breath focus, not repeated movement or force.
4. Do all yoga asanas stretch the body?
No, some yoga asanas build strength, balance, or require muscle engagement rather than stretching.
5. Is it okay to skip difficult yoga postures?
Yes, you can modify or skip yoga postures if they cause discomfort or strain.
6. How many yoga asanas exist?
Traditional texts list 84 yoga asanas, but modern schools teach hundreds.
7. What is the most basic seated asana?
Sukhasana (Easy Pose) is the simplest seated asana for beginners.
8. Can you hold a yoga asana while breathing normally?
Yes, steady breathing is part of holding any yoga asana.
Sources:
1. Yogajournal
2. Yogaasanas
3. Wikipedia
